26 January 2012

A passenger on that flight, Naomi Feldman, told Arutz Sheva in an exclusive interview Thursday morning, “We were sitting there for at least three hours, but after a while, you start to wonder.”

For Feldman, however, it turned out well. “A friend needed my presence here to receive her Get (divorce contract) and I had been unable to arrange it due to my schedule. “'How can I manage without you?' she begged me, and I did not know what to say to her,” Feldman told Arutz Sheva. “Maybe I should thank these hackers for obeying Hashem's wishes – now I am sitting with her in Beis Din rabbinical court in Jerusalem.”

Rav Yehuda Zev Lebowitz of saintly and blessed memory was a Kabbalist and hidden tzaddik as well as a Holocaust survivor. Little is known of him, for he lived his life far away from spotlights. Yet, his word carried tremendous weight in the Heavenly realm. What many don't know is that he was one of Rav Shalom Arush's principle spiritual guides. Rav Yehuda Zev, a holy man with the eyes of a sonogram, could not stomach anything other than absolute holiness. Many big rabbis were therefore afraid to approach him, for he could smell if they were the real deal or not. He loved Rav Shalom. He didn't leave much in the physical world, but he bequeathed his tefillin to Rav Shalom.

Before he died, he told Rav Shalom three things, the first two of which have materialized:

1. Uprisings and infighting will sweep through the Arab countries;

2. Bibi will not be able to attack Iran; Hashem will use other means as He did with Sadaam Hussein.

I don't want to repeat the third thing that Rav Yehuda Zev said, for it hasn't materialized yet. But, I urge our cherished brothers and sisters outside of Israel to start praying and planning to make Aliya, the sooner the better.

25 January 2012

New Prediction – Economic Collapse: 1st to Europe then to U.S. and the World

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012 at 9:35 PM EST

Glenn took time today to breakdown a new theory and prediction on what was facing the globe as economic conditions across the country continue to decline. Many will remember that last year Glenn predicted the Arab Spring would sweep the Middle East and Europe before leading to protests in the United States. He was right. Tonight on GBTV, he laid out what he predicts is coming next.

Last year when the protests started to erupt in Egypt, Glenn went on the record early and said the following:

1) Groups from the hardcore socialist left, and extreme Islam will work together because of the common enemy of Israel.

2) Groups from the hardcore socialist left and extreme Islam will work together because of the common enemy of capitalism.

3) Groups from the hardcore socialist left, and extreme Islam will work together to overturn relative stability, because in the status quo, they are both ostracized from power and the mainstream in most of the world.

He predicted that those protests would become contagious, cascade, sweep the Middle East, and begin to destabilize Europe and the rest of the world.

That sure sounds a lot like the Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street movement, doesn’t it?

Tonight, Glenn’s new theory was revealed.

Economic Collapse is coming. First to Europe, then to the U.S. and the rest of the world.As a result:1) The dollar will no longer be gold standard.2) Civil War, unlike Civil War of the 1860s, will be fought in our inner cities led by radicals (anarchists, communists, revolutionaries, and Islamists)3) This conflict will be fed and fueled by those in power in Washington D.C. and in our universities4) Global War is coming5) Radical Islamists and Communists will seek violence in our cities and on our border as they pour in from South America and Mexico to reclaim land6) Farmers will be urged to farm collectively7) Violence and famine will follow

How will this happen?

Glenn explained by taking a look at war, collapse, hate, and government control already taking place in society and in the news across the world.

First, he discussed war and collapse:

Then he discussed hate growing in America and across the globe:

Finally, he discussed control:

Glenn will be sure to discuss these issues more over the next few days and weeks on GBTV. Stay tuned for more on this story.

24 January 2012

A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles toward Earth tomorrow (Jan. 24), as the strongest radiation storm since 2005 rages on the sun.

CREDIT: NASA/SDO and the AIA Consortium/Edited by J. Major

Early this morning (0359 GMT Jan. 23, which corresponds to late Sunday, Jan. 22 at 10:59 p.m. EST), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught an extreme ultraviolet flash from a huge eruption on the sun. About Sun Storms.

RADIATION STORM IN PROGRESS: Solar protons accelerated by this morning's M9-class solar flare are streaming past Earth. On the NOAA scale of radiation storms, this one ranks S3, which means it could, e.g., cause isolated reboots of computers onboard Earth-orbiting satellites and interfere with polar radio communications. An example of satellite effects: The "snow" in this SOHO coronagraph movie is caused by protons hitting the observatory's onboard camera.

"This was amazing," he says. "It was a wonderful experience to see these stunning auroras." For the next 24 hours, Earth's magnetic field reverberated from the impact, stirring bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Bjørn Jørgensen observed this display from Tromsø, Norway:

NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% - 25% chance of continued geomagnetic storms tonight as effects from the CME impact subside. The odds will increase again on Jan. 24-25 as a new CME (from today's M9-clare) approaches Earth. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras.

22 January 2012

"The community is located near the West Bank city of Ramallah. These days, while we often hear of discrimination against members of the Ethiopian community and of haredi institutions restricting the number of Sephardic students, a place where Sephardic and Ashkenazi girls study together in harmony is a real beacon of light.

"It's a beautiful ingathering of the exiles. There's no difference between one person and another. The words Sephardic and Ashkenazi have been erased from our lexicon ... The only parameter in admitting children to schools or kindergartens is their religious level," says Rabbi David Azoulay, chairman of the community committee.

"I feel like part of something historic in the haredi public, a real model of life together," ... "There is a very high spiritual and educational level here, as well as huge education value the girls receive because of the friendship and interaction."

"My daughters learn different customs, different cultures, play with girls who speak Yiddish. It's enriching and fruitful. I'm proud to be living in such a place."

AND ON THE SIDE OF THE DIVIDE

Seminary refuses to admit Sephardic girlsKol Hai Radio on Sunday aired a recording of a principal of a haredi high school for girls in Beitar Illit, complaining about the number of Sephardic students he must deal with: "Not every year (…) absolutely not. Are you aware of the amount of Sephardic girls? I can't, I just can't," the principal is heard saying."

17 January 2012

I hope MK Orlev leaves the coalition, and that others do the same because someone has to take a stand against these tragedies.

Unbelievable. We must protest against this, if only with words. That Jews are removing Jewish men, women and children from their homes in order to placate the Arabs! To contribute to the American President's reelection!

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructed the Ministerial Committee for Legislation not to vote Sunday on a bill that would prevent the demolition of outposts. The bill is known as the Outpost Authorization Bill or the Migron Bill – because its early passage would prevent the demolition of that outpost, scheduled to take place by March.

MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home), who sponsored the bill, told Arutz Sheva that Netanyahu apparently knows that the bill has the support of a majority of the committee's members, and therefore wants to avoid a vote.

Orlev repeated previous warnings – by him and the other members of the Jewish Home – that they intend to leave the coalition if Migron is razed. Such a move would "send shockwaves through the coalition," he said. While the Jewish Home faction is only made up of three MKs, if they bolt the coalition, a domino effect could cause other MKs to rebel, including some Likud MKs who oppose the Migron demolition."

The Sikrikim, money laundering, violence in the name of tsnius, turf wars, the evoking of WWII images, demeaning the elderly sages, is all together a symptom of a slow internal disintegration ... but only to make way for an increased Ingathering.

The imminent Geula will hopefully bring many Jews back to our homeland from far and distant lands. They may look different and may have differing customs and way of dressing. What will be needed if and when this takes place is tolerance and compassion to enable these remnants of our wandering family to integrate into the larger community of Jews already living here on our Land.

The Sikrikim are a force from the other side who spiritually oppose the completion of the Ingathering begun since the 50's. The ideology of opposing the Geula is a repetition of the Miraglim (leaders) who opposed the newly formed nation of Jews from entering the Land at G-d's invitation.

The repeat of these ancient forces must occur so that all of Am Yisrael in fulfillment of the laws of Teshuva (in the same situation but not doing the same aveira) will be countering this opposing force. This may be the meaning of "all Am Yisrael will do teshuva in the end of days." Of course, the basic Halachos will need to be in effect; but when the neshoma is awakened via the Shechina it will happen out of love and awe.

Unfortunately:

"During Hanukkah the Belzer Rebbe made a statement (with officials in attendance) against violence, “If there are those among us who believe they will spread the light of Yiddishkheit through violence, they are mistaken.” Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum, one of the two Satmar rebbes, responded at a fundraising dinner held for his institutions by condemning the Belzer Rebbe's words and endorsing violence, says Ladaat here with a verbal recording of the Belzer Rebbe's words here and Rabbi Zalman's words here.

Interesting Update: The gabbei of Belzer Rebbe, R’ Shimon Wolf Klein and a delegation of ten Belzer dayanim from all over the world paid a visit today to the kever of the Satmar Rebbe, R’ Yoel, zt’l, in Kiryas Joel, and asked for mechila from the Satmar Rebbe in the name of the Belzer Rebbe. Belz/Satmar Reconciliation.

However, this 'gang' and their source of support is being scrutinized by the legal authorities of the State of Israel.

This source of funds is coming from Chutz L'Aretz. But we see that the World's economy is teetering on a precipice of Divine origin. Nothing is coincidence. The financial support of Sikrikim is slowly dwindling, as the greater economy is squeezing people into submission to a socialist lifestyle.

Because of this he American Yidden also will be squeezed slowly into an intolerable position, causing more who are able to flee these constraints. However, new laws enacted by the American Government do not allow Americans to transfer large amounts of funds into a foreign bank account. So what does one do if he sells his home and wants to take the cash with him to Israel, to buy a home? I don't know how this will affect Aliya to Israel, or how this affects tzedaka organizations that send money to Israel? How is it being done?

The following I read on one of the Geula mailings I receive from Rabbi Pinchas Winston Shlit"a: "Someone living in Eretz Yisroel, formerly from the States, wished to transfer his money from US funds into Israeli currency, by purchasing BOI bonds (not Israeli bonds). He was told that he was not eligible to do so, and had President Obama to thank for that - a limitation on his ability to spend US Dollars abroad was new and chilling." For world financial updates visit Zero Hedge. For more on Geula from Rabbi Winston, visit ShaarNun Productions.

Further prodding into the Ingathering.

This tension between Eretz Yisrael and Chutz L'Aretz will continue. The Golus Edom must cease in it's power and the Geula must proceed, so say the Prophets of HaShem. We are and have been witnessing these struggles for many years. There is slow but definitive progress. What was just a topic among few 20 and 10 years ago has now become common knowledge among many, and a daily scruitiny by others. Some are even counting the days. Geula update.

12 January 2012

"In a change that’s been called the “most radical transformation ever” to Google’s search engine, the Mountain View, California, company on Tuesday announced an update called “Search, plus Your World,” which causes Google’s robots to incorporate data from its social network as well as the public Internet when delivering search results to people.

“Search is pretty amazing at finding that one needle in a haystack of billions of Web pages, images, videos, news and much more,”Google said in a blog post on Tuesday morning.

“But clearly, that isn’t enough. You should also be able to find your own stuff on the Web, the people you know and things they’ve shared with you, as well as the people you don’t know but might want to … all from one search box.”

“The new system will perhaps make life much easier for some people, allowing them to find both privately shared content from friends and family plus material from across the Web through a single search, rather than having to search twice using two different systems,” he writes.

“However, Search Plus Your World may cause some privacy worries, as private content may appear as if it is exposed publicly (it is not). It might also cause concern by making private content more visible to friends and family than those sharing may have initially intended.”

"The Electronic Privacy Information Center is saying it may file a letter of complaint to the Federal Trade Commission because, although the new search function allows users to opt out of having personal information show up in their results, it doens’t give users the ability to “opt out of having their information found through Google search” by others.

"The LA Times blog has more from EPIC’s Executive Director Marc Rotenberg:

“Google is an entrenched player trying to fight off its challenger Facebook by using its market dominance in a separate sector,” Rotenberg said. “I think that should trouble people.” Critics also say the move raises alarm bells for consumer privacy. “Although data from a user’s Google+ contacts is not displayed publicly, Google’s changes make the personal data of users more accessible,” EPIC said in a note on his website.

And another "COINCIDENCE' Homeland security says it will monitor social media. Glenn compares their new strategies to Italy's latest fascist trends (not 'fashion' but fascist)!

?CONTROVERSIAL SITES?

Homeland Security's eye are on, to name a few:

"These include social networking sites Facebook and My Space - though there is a parenthetical notice that My Space only affords a "limited search" capability - and more than a dozen sites that monitor, aggregate and enable searches of Twitter messages and exchanges.

"Among blogs and aggregators on the list are ABC News' investigative blog "The Blotter;" blogs that cover bird flu; several blogs related to news and activity along U.S. borders (DHS runs border and immigration agencies); blogs that cover drug trafficking and cybercrime; and websites that follow wildfires in Los Angeles and hurricanes.

"News and gossip sites on the monitoring list include popular destinations such as the Drudge Report, Huffington Post and "NY Times Lede Blog", as well as more focused techie fare such as the Wired blogs "Threat Level" and "Danger Room." Numerous blogs related to terrorism and security are also on the list."

11 January 2012

A Very Very Long Yated Story by Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Editor, The Yated

But Very Very Interesting

Yisgadeil Veyiskadeish Shemei Rabboh

The story is told of a woman who was married for sixteen years and had not been blessed with children. Pain and loneliness were her daily companions. She begged her father, a great tzaddik, and her husband, an illustrioustalmid chochom, to daven along with her, but the wait continued.

One day, a little over one hundred years ago, before the advent of washing machines and dryers, she spent several hours washing the family’s clothing. When that task was finally completed, as was her habit every week, she hung up the freshly-cleaned laundry in the courtyard she shared with other families. A neighbor, for some unknown reason, became upset at the sight of the hanging clothing, flew into a rage, and ran inside her home to get a scissors. She returned and cut both ends of the rope, sending all the clean clothing into the mud, ruining hours of hard work.

The housewife was upset and burst into tears. She hurried into the privacy of her home and gave vent to her distress there, weeping in solitude. Then she went and engaged in the long process all over again, this time hanging her laundry to dry in a neighboring courtyard.

That evening, the offending neighbor came to the house crying, begging forgiveness. “I don’t know what came over me. I am so sorry. Please be mochel me. Plus, I already got my punishment. My son is sick, burning up with fever.”

The woman forgave her and wished her son a refuah sheleimah. The story is told in many different versions, but the way I heard it, upon hearing the commotion, the woman’s father looked up from his learning and asked what had transpired.

With much emotion, she related the story. She explained that the cruel actions of her neighbor had been too much for her to handle in her already fragile state and she couldn’t calm down. But rather than react with angry words to her neighbor, she went inside her home to express her pain in private. She told him how she then went and redid the laundry, without making a machlokes or telling anyone.

“The fact that you didn’t respond to her and prevented this from becoming a fight,” said the father, “will be the merit you need to be helped. Your great deed will grant you a child who will be great.”

One year later, a son was born.

The zaide was the author of the classic sefer, Leshem Shevo Ve’achlama, Rav Shlomo Elyashiv. The baby who was born was Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. (His father adopted the family name of his wife when they sought certificates to leave Lithuania to British-controlled Palestine.)

There is a message here for us. Beneath the surface understanding of the story lies a reminder that our own revered gadol hador was a gift to the generation brought about by the middah of vatronus, by a chastened woman remaining calm and peaceful.

Devorim gedolim einam bemikreh. Rav Elyashiv would become a son-in-law of Rav Aryeh Levine, arebbe in how to treat others and in appreciating the worth and dignity of every person.

The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 8:5) states that when Hashem created the world, there was a commotion. “Shalom” objected to the creation of the world, for shalom said that the world would contain arguments and conflicts. Hashem quieted the complaints by throwing “emes” into the world, as the posuk states (Doniel 8:12), “Vatishlach emes artzoh.”

The simple explanation is that once emes, truth, was given to the world, people wouldn’t fight. Hostility is caused when people cannot unite and each one dishonestly attempts to promote his cause. Once truth became an integer of the world, people would be able to work together for the truth.

However, the Maharal (Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Emes 3) explains that the giving of the Torah is what caused shalom to give up its opposition to creation. Man is beset with dispute only when he is without Torah. Torah causes him to be peaceful, as the posuk states, “Derocheha darchei noam vechol nesivoseha shalom.” Furthermore, the Gemara (Brachos 64a) says, “Talmidei chachomim marbim shalom ba’olam.” The proper way to explain the Medrash is that when Torah was given to the world, shalom ceased to oppose its creation.

Yaakov Avinu, the embodiment of Torah, was motivated by emes and shalom. His brother Eisav, who lived by the sword, as the posuk states, “Ve’al charbecha tichyeh,” was the antithesis of those middos of Yaakov. One who lives by the sword isn’t confident in his ability to win arguments. He is dishonest and his arguments are weak and fictitious, so he is forced to rule through violence and terror. People are subservient to him because they fear him, not because they believe him to be correct in his actions or in his beliefs.

That is the definition of Yaakov’s admonition to Shimon and Levi as he parted from them in this week’s parsha. Yaakov refers to the way they chose to avenge what was done to their sister Dinah as “klei chomos.” Rashi explains that the means employed by Shimon and Levi are not the implements of the children of Yaakov. They are stolen from Eisav. The Bnei Yisroel do not engage in violent disputes, and when and if they do, they have to know that they have adopted the methods of Eisav and his disciples.

Jews don’t hit. Jews don’t shout. Nor do they spit or react with violence and anger.

The tools we possess are respect, acceptance and equanimity, laced with the confidence that comes from living in accordance with the perfect harmony of halacha. We know who we are and what we stand for, and we know that in order to influence others, we need to work with them to make a difference. Shouting louder doesn’t make us more audible; using physical threats or violence only makes us weaker.

When we hear about beatings and threats, we must protest. We need to acknowledge the problem and reaffirm our own commitment to following the paths of our grandparents and rabbeim, who taught us not just by what they said, but by how they lived and conducted themselves. Chazal cite the hallmarks of talmidim of Avrohom Avinu. They are rachmonim, bayshonim and gomlei chassodim. We, who consider ourselves to be in the category of Avrohom’s pupils, must test ourselves by that qualifier. To the degree those adjectives apply to us, we are bnei Avrohom.

Respect was their hallmark. Like the Rambam teaches us in Hilchos Talmud Torah, they addressed every human beingwith calmness, tranquility and humility. The sifrei mussar are replete with admonitions of how Torah people are supposed to conduct themselves - with humility, kindness and empathy.

The Ponovezher Rov famously retold how, while undergoing medical treatment in an American hospital, he met a secular Jewish doctor. Speaking with him, the Rov discovered that he had learned in Lithuanian yeshivos in his youth, and although he wasn’t observant, he still maintained respect for Torah and its scholars.

The Rov observed that the man had lost all connection to Yiddishkeit.

“The only reason that I don’t officially convert and go to church,” the doctor confided, “is because the kapote (coat or jacket) of the Chofetz Chaim doesn’t allow me to.”

The Rov, a talmid of the Chofetz Chaim, looked at the doctor with curiosity, wondering what he meant. The old doctor explained that, when he was a child, his parents sent him to learn in the yeshiva of Radin.

When he arrived, he joined the line of new bochurim at the humble home of the Chofetz Chaim, waiting to introduce himself and receive instructions regarding where he would be lodging. His journey had been lengthy and exhausting, and, as he waited there, he was overcome by fatigue. He sat down on the floor and, within moments, was fast asleep.

He barely felt hands lifting him and carrying him to a bed, but when he awoke late that night, he realized that the host himself, the great tzaddik, had carried him to a bed and covered him with his own kapote. The Chofetz Chaim himself was sitting and learning in his shirt-sleeves.

The compassion and simplicity of the Chofetz Chaim affected this doctor profoundly, and even through the decades and continents, a warm glow remained. It was that inspiration that prevented him from leaving Judaism completely.

That respect - respect for everyone - is intrinsic to the make-up of the Torah Jew. This is because respect isn’t a public relations gimmick that Torah Jews use. It isn’t a broad smile and pleasant greeting in order to win friends and influence people. Respect is a part of our spiritual DNA, a legacy from our forefather Avrohom Avinu who welcomed visitors into his home, even if he opposed the choices they had made.

Atalmid sat in the back seat of a taxi along with his rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, discussing a sugya.

They were going back and forth with spirit and energy, when, suddenly, Rav Moshe Shmuel stopped him. The rosh yeshiva scanned the identification card hanging near the driver’s seat, looking for the driver’s name.

“Let us continue the conversation in Hebrew, rather than Yiddish, so that Arik, in the front, can also enjoy and partake,” said Rav Moshe Shmuel.

The stereotypical Israeli taxi driver didn’t understand the rest of the conversation, but he got the message most important to him: he was a person too, and he was deserving of recognition and respect.

And yes, that same respect and empathy afforded to adults is meant to be displayed to children as well.

In a Yated interview, Rav Reuvein Feinstein related a story about his father, Rav Moshe Feinstein. The Feinsteins would spend some time each summer in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. Rav Moshe was friendly with a shochet, Rav Berman, who lived there.

During the time the family was in Hartford, a relative of the Bermans, a yeshiva bochur, came to stay with them. The bochur took advantage of the opportunity of being in the presence of Rav Moshe to observe him and try to learn from his conduct.

The bochur observed how Rav Moshe, the tremendous masmid, would wake up every day at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning and begin learning. Then, at about 6 o’clock, a little girl entered his room. To his astonishment, the bochur witnessed how Rav Moshe got up from his table and started playing ball with the little girl.

Intrigued, the yeshiva bochur revealed himself and asked the gadol hador if he was perhaps related to the girl and why he deemed it necessary to interrupt his learning to play ball with her.

Rav Moshe, demonstrating the wisdom and sensitivity that characterized his middos and hanhagah, replied, “Until I came here, she was the gantze macherke. She was the one who garnered everyone’s attention. When I arrived, I stole the focus and attention from her and I therefore owe her something. I must repay her by, at the very least, spending some time playing with her!”

In the timeless brachos of Yaakov Avinu, he faced his beloved sons and analyzed their kochos and character traits. The message he imparted would guide not only his immediate family, but his descendants, for thousands of years. His words are a beacon of light to us today as well. He cursed the anger of Shimon and Levi, stating, “Ki be’apam hargu ish, uveretzonam ikru shor.” No one doubted their sincerity and that their actions were lesheim Shomayim, fueled by the most righteous of calculations. Yet, their father cursed the middah that had generated such results.

The Maskilim who had been battling traditional Judaism for years, saw Zionism as a vehicle with which to continue their war. The Maskilim effectively used the new movement to battle religion.

What is transpiring today in Eretz Yisroel must be understood as another chapter in that ongoing, awful, century-long tug-of-war.

We should not allow ourselves to be drawn into the cauldron or be lectured by the ideological heirs of those early Maskilim who did everything in their power to vilify Torah, gedolei Torah and Yiddishkeit.

They were quick to discover the power of the media and propagandized regularly against the religious community. Nothing was beneath them. They lobbied to have rabbonim sidelined and at times jailed. They sought to have chadorim made illegal and to delist melamdim, who they demeaned and accused of kol dovor assur. They vilified botei din and attempted to have them banned as well. They also lobbied the authorities, claiming that rabbonim used seforim to encourage anti-government and anti-social activities, and sought to have them made illegal.

Everything the Israeli media and those in power engage in today is taken from their destructive playbook and must be viewed in that context in order to understand the extreme media focus on the goings-on in the religious community.

Dealing with people with respect means recognizing the value that people place on symbols, places and memories, and reflecting on how one’s actions can impact others. The brutality of Israeli police is well documented. Regrettably, discrimination against chareidim is a bitter fact of life in the Holy Land. However, to compare such conduct to that of the Nazis is insensitive and insulting. To use images that have haunted our people for seven decades as a propaganda tool is cynical manipulation. It is disrespectful to those who truly suffered. Trivializing Jewish pain and suffering for a cheap photo-op gimmick is foolish and wrong.

Too many people who were hurt by the Nazis are grieving. Too many people who suffered are pained as they relive the horrors that they - and our people as a whole -endured. Just decades ago, millions of Jews were rounded up, maimed, beaten, and destroyed financially, mentally, and of course physically. Jewish life as it had existed for hundreds of years was upended. There were millions of karbanos, most of them in the Olam Ha’emes, but many with us, everywhere.

For people to lower themselves in an attempt to further multiple agendas is callous. For us to remain silent in the face of actions timed and staged to make waves at a sensitive time in front of the world media would be to condone senseless insensitivity.

As descendants of the avos, who taught the world sensitivity, and as talmidim, children and grandchildren of great people whose lives embodied nobility of spirit and empathy, we have a mandate to always act with consideration and responsibility.

Rav Yisroel Salanter caused a revolution amongst Klal Yisroel with the emphasis he introduced on the study of mussar in yeshivos. He sought not only to bring about the study of classic sifrei yirah which had been neglected, but also to infuse the Jewish people with recognition of the need to improve the way they deal with each other, the way they speak, and the way they conduct themselves. The mussar he preached was not only about how a Jew relates to Hashem, but also how he relates to his fellow man.

Rav Yisroel taught a generation how to act and how to conduct itself. He also fought the Maskilim bitterly. He was from the first of a long line of gedolim who advocated establishing newspapers to combat the negative influences of those determined to besmirch Torah. He taught the young how to communicate and how to present themselves, with kindness and sophistication. With gaonus in Torah and middos, he was a leader in preserving the Torah nation.

Because, even when the situation calls for change or retribution, anger is not the means with which to achieve it. It requires one steeped in Torah and mussar to lead the charge. When one needs to influence or chastise another, he can learn from the Master of the Universe: “Ess asher ye’ehav Hashem yochiach.” Hashem rebukes those He loves. His messages are laced with compassion and concern.

When the Chazon Ish famously agreed to speak to David Ben-Gurion, two Jews at the polar opposites of the spectrum met. One represented the holy mesorah of Pumpedisa and Sura, while the other proudly dreamt of the Maskilim’s vision of the “new Jew.” The Chazon Ish brilliantly rebuffed the arguments of the politician. He made it clear, with the ferocity of a mother lion protecting her young, that the Olam HaTorah was untouchable and that his “army” wasn’t impressed by the military might of Ben-Gurion. Yet, he spoke calmly, with warmth and a begrudging respect. As he explained, “In between each ‘frask,’ each ideological blow I dealt him, I felt like I had to give him a ‘glett,’ a stroke on the cheek.”

As fierce as the battle he waged was, the Chazon Ish knew thatne’imus, pleasantness, is proper and more effective.

In all the reporting and coverage of what has been transpiring, the entire religious community has been tarred with the same brush and portrayed as crazed anti-social Neanderthals.

The hundreds of thousands of fine, ehrliche, decent frum people who humbly and quietly go about their peaceful lives, living as the generations before them did, are ignored. They are given no voice in a hostile media engaged in a Kulturkampf, on a mission to portray us all as fanaticized Taliban weirdoes.

While the reaction of Torah leaders such as Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, Rav Ovadia Yosef and the Belzer Rebbe; political leaders such as Moshe Gafni, Yisroel Eichler and Aryeh Deri; organizations such as Agudas Yisroel, the Orthodox Union and the RCA; and so many others are completely ignored, religious and secular self-righteous opportunists rush to the microphones to promote themselves and their agendas.

Perhaps this Shabbos, when thebaal kriah reads the posuk of “Arur apam - Cursed is their anger,” we will reinforce the time-honored ways of our people and proclaim its lessons to ourselves and our children in a way that no one can deny in accusatory fashion.

When we hear how“birtzonam ikru shor,”we will reinforce our behavior so that no one can infer that the posuk refers to us.

The pesukim will remind us not to sit by apathetically, in oblivion and silence, in the face of outrageous behavior that can be taken as a form of ratzon, compliance and acceptance of the situation. Wanton voices that shout viciously and angrily, with all the associated bad middos, should not be permitted to achieve their goals, besmirching an entire community.

This week, as we lain the parsha, we will be proclaiming that we speak with the authentic Jewish voice, the one that expresses itself with warmth and calmness to friends, neighbors and people we meet on the street.

We daven that our wayward brothers, who have been led astray and brought up to hate, will be able to take this message to heart. We hope that the truth will prevail, the good of the many, recognized; and the aberrations of the few, acknowledged for what it is.

We daven that our feet will tread back to the way of “deracheha darchei noam” and once again find the path of “chol nesivoseha shalom.”

And then, perhaps, we will heal a fragmented people, united, with our differences, like the twelve sons around Yaakov Avinu’s death-bed, who cried out, as one, “Shema Yisroel.”

Chazal derive from the posuk in Shema, “Ve’ohavta eis Hashem Elokecha,”that we should endeavor to cause the name of Hashem to be loved - “shetehei Sheim Shomayim misaheiv al yodcha.”When viewing the actions of bnei Torah, people should say, “Kamah na’eh ma’aseihem. How pleasant are the ways of the people who adhere to Torah.” Upon contemplation of religious people, the hearts of those removed from Torah should be opened to learn, appreciate and accept a life of Torah.

The most emotional parts of davening are Shema and Kaddish, when we proclaim, “Yisgadeil veyiskadeish shemei rabboh,” that the Name of Hashem should be made great and holy.

May we merit to see that transpire in our day, when the entirety of Am Yisroel will be awakened to the truth, the emes and the shalom with which the world was created.

10 January 2012

DEBKAfile's military sources report a buildup in the last 48 hours of western naval forces opposite Iran in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea in readiness for Tehran to carry out its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz.

US, Russian French and British air and naval forces streamed to the Syrian and Iranian coasts over the weekend on guard for fresh developments at the two Middle East flashpoints.

The Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov anchored earlier than planned at Syria's Tartus port on the Mediterranean Sunday, Jan. 8, arriving together with the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and frigate Yaroslav Mudry.

To counter this movement, France consigned an air defense destroyer Forbin to the waters off Tartus.

Shirat Devorah informs us that The Australian reports that Israel ... In preparation: "is preparing to shut its nuclear reactor at Dimona, where it makes nuclear weapons, because of the site's vulnerability in a war with Iran."

BAHRAIN Manama - Iran is a common threat to Bahrain, Israel and the US, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was quoted as saying by a Jewish official on Sunday. "Rabbi Marc Schneier, vice president of the World Jewish Congress, said the king told him he was alarmed by the Islamic Republic during a 45-minute meeting held in the capital city of Manama late last month."

"He said it was imperative to hold talks between Jews and Muslims now because the perfect conditions to conduct such a conversation would never arise. “Whether we chose to have it [in Bahrain] or not you can’t wait,” he said. “It’s a genuine sincere effort to expand Muslim-Jewish dialogue.”

HAARETZ: Israel is preparing for an Iran with nuclear capabilities within the next 12 months, according to a report by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank. The U.K. daily Times newspaper published extracts of the report by the Tel Aviv University institute on Monday, according to an AFP report.

DEBKA "As quoted by the London Times Monday, Jan. 1, INSS experts, headed by Gen. (ret.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council, deduced from a simulation study they staged last week that. Their conclusion is that neither the US nor Israel will use force to stop Iran's first nuclear test which they predicted would take place in January 2013. Our Iranian sources stress, however, that Tehran does not intend to wait for the next swearing-in of a US president in January 2013, whether Barack Obama is returned for a second term or replaced by a Republican figure, before moving on to a nuclear test. Iran's Islamist rulers have come to the conclusion from the Bush and Obama presidencies that America is a paper tiger and sure to shrink from attacking their nuclear program – especially while the West is sunk in profound economic distress."

Bold Headlines on a pashkvill ... Eida Chareidis Says Extremists Innocent ... led by R’ Yitzchak Tuvia Weiss and R’ Moshe Shternbuch, the Eida Chareidis came out in support of the Sikrikim.

One commentator on a Jewish blog expressed his frustration:

"So we were waiting for two weeks for the Eidah to come out with a statement, and THIS is what they write? Had they just stayed quiet and let Pappenheim do the talking, at least they would have been able to convince us that they really are against violence and are trying to make order "from the inside", but now that they have silenced Pappenheim and have come out with this letter, the have publicly unmasked themselves and shown us their true colors."

The Eida said “In the past few weeks, several of the finest from both Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh have been arrested for no valid reason,” continues the statement. “It is incumbent upon us to guard ourselves in all matters of tznius and holiness, to be extra vigilant in matters of tznius on our busses and to check the foundations of our houses to ensure that no strange influences, even those that claim to be from the chareidi community, penetrate our homes.”

"The hand belonged to Yisroel Dovid Weiss, an activist rabbi who leads a branch of Neturei Karta, a small and very odd sect of Haredi Jews (often called by the somewhat imprecise label "ultra-Orthodox"). While many Haredim are theologically opposed to Zionism -- to oversimplify, they believe the Jews get the Holy Land when the Messiah arrives, not before -- only Neturei Karta actively side with Israel's enemies. (Their marginal role in the Haredi world is explained in more detail here.) The late Neturei Karta leader Moshe Hirsh was a close associate of Yasser Arafat, and Weiss has traveled with a delegation to Tehran more than once, including on a trip to attend a Holocaust revisionism conference (Weiss, whose grandparents perished at Aushwitz, is not himself a Holocaust denier, but he happily played token Jewish friend to those who are). Full article here

08 January 2012

"Monday night, Jan. 2, Al Qaeda claimed to have established its first Jerusalem operational cell calling it the "Sunni Youth Movement Cell in Greater Jerusalem.". Debka's Bulletin No. 1 with details of the organization and its targets was promised in the next few days. According to DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources, Israeli intelligence has advised the government and security services to treat the announced appearance of al Qaeda, and its aim to reach out from Jerusalem to the West Bank, very seriously.

"Those intelligence sources also tie the rise of the first Al Qaeda cell in greater Jerusalem with the mushrooming of Palestinian Islamist Salafite organizations in the Palestinian centers of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. These organizations are either linked directly to Al Qaeda or deeply influenced by its jihadist ideology and ready to act on it."

Such a perceived external threat might achieve what the great minds could not do: be the catalyst for unifying the various groups so irrationally attacking each other, religious and secular. I cannot help but think of and compare what is happening now with the infighting that consumed the Jews in the years before our Temple was destroyed. G-d forbid it should continue. Hopefully, something will occur to put out the fires of hatred.

On the surface this appears to be a Peace-keeping Deployment from both sides to provide a diversion from the inner sinas chinam that infiltrated Israeli society with it's eruption recently, as powerful and threatening as the Vesuvius or Mt Etna eruption:

"Pliny the Younger authorized an account of the eruption —

Broad sheets of flame were lighting up many parts of Vesuvius; their light and brightness were the more vivid for the darkness of the night... it was daylight now elsewhere in the world, but there the darkness was darker and thicker than any night." 79AD

The holy seat of the quasi island of Italy, the 4th Golus (Edom) is full of fire and ash just beneath the surface waiting for their cue.

All the world could be watching and hoping that Israel will implode from the inside. But one aspect of teshuva (that we read in this week's Parsha, which was a deciding factor in Yaakov Avinu's brocha of Kingship to Yehuda), was his aspect of truthfulness and his tshuva. The Rambam includes as one of the conditions, "being in the same situation (being tempted to do wrong) and NOT reacting the same way" but choosing to do "good." Let the good people of Israel put an end to the sinas chinam from within the fullness of their hearts.

Last evening coming back from an uplifting Melava Malka, we saw an Egged bus with a big clear message on the sides and back of the bus, that said (in Hebrew) "Sinat Hinam, Don't Speak It To Me". I heard that this campaign was the idea of the Optica Halperin family. Rafael Halperin, a wrestler and body builder, later in life, opened a single eyeglass store in Bnei Brak 15 years ago that became the largest eyeglass store chain in Israel, with more than 120 outlets across the country. [story not fully verified, partially from our Monit driver and from partially Wikipedia]

The visionary brilliance of one man helping his fellow Jews to see better with their eyes and their hearts.

May these buses traveling all over Yerushalayim impart this simple but profound message and help to bring achdut.

Son of Russian immigrant envisions something worse than Euro-socialism

If Barack Obama wins in 2012, America is headed for something worse than a failing European-style socialist state, top-rated radio host Michael Savage said on his nationally syndicated show today.

“I have to tell you that if this man, God forbid, is the next president of the United States, we’re going to be living in something along the lines of – people say Europe. I don’t believe it’s going to be like Europe – I think it will be closer to Chavez’s South American dictatorship,” he told his “Savage Nation” audience.

Recalling his background as the son of an immigrant from Russia, who has been around awhile and seen a number of administrations, Savage said that if he had one message to leave, it would be a warning about what he fears is on the horizon.

“This is the most corrupt, incompetent, dangerous tyrannical administration in American history,” he declared.

“It’s not politics as usual. It’s not just Democrats versus Republicans,” Savage said.

Obama, he said, is “not a Democrat,” noting the president’s history of ties to Marxists and other radicals documented in his book “Trickle Up Poverty.”

“Obama has a long history of being at odds with American values and with America itself and the core principles of this country.” Savage said.

Savage pointed to media as one of the areas in which “step by step, degree by degree, we’re losing our freedom.”

He cited a WND story by Aaron Klein about a non-profit journalism group funded by supporters of MoveOn.org and the ACLU that will supply news to NBC television affiliates.

05 January 2012

"The Pentagon to Send US Troops to Israel.Iran is the Unspoken TargetBlacked-out news story in America...

...January 2, 2012. Jerusalem. In one of the most blacked-out stories in America right now, the US military is preparing to send thousands of US troops, along with US Naval anti-missile ships and accompanying support personnel, to Israel.

...Israeli military personnel will be added to EUCOM in Germany. EUCOM stands for United States European Command"

Executive Summary: A careful comparison of current events vis-à-vis the Palestinians and the so-called Peace Process with a variety of Jewish sources concerning events that are destined to take place at the Final Redemption, leads to surprising and positive possibilities. The following article describes a possible scenario and the Jewish sources on which it is based.

Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 12) teaches that the Jewish Oral Tradition does not clarify the details of future events described by the Prophets of Israel in the Bible. In his words,וכל אלו הדברים וכיוצא בהן לא ידע אדם איך יהיו עד שיהיו – "and in all these things and related matters man will not know how they will come about until they come about." In other words, no one knows exactly what the Prophets are describing until it takes place.

The Jewish Oral Tradition (תורה שבעל פה Torah she-Beal Peh) gives us abundant guidance on matters of Halakha – for instance, the פרי עץ הדר – “the fruit of the beauteous tree to be taken on Sukkot” - is defined by the Oral Tradition as the אתרוג etrog – the citron. Or, the Biblical injunction to וקשרתם לאות על ידך והיו לטטפת בין עיניך"bind them as a sign on your arms and frontlets between your eyes" we understand from the Torah she-Beal Peh refers to phylacteries – Tefillin – which are cubic black leather boxes containing parchments inscribed with very specific Biblical passages. Without the Oral Tradition, we would have no way of knowing this.

A comparable guide to understanding prophetic statements, however, is not revealed by the Oral Tradition. For instance, Isaiah 60:08, in reference to the returning of the Exiles to Israel in the Final Redemption, states: מי אלה כעב תעופינה וכיונים אל ארבתיהם – "who are these who will fly like a cloud, and like doves to their dovecotes?"

Before the era of piloted manned flight began in the early twentieth century, classical commentators were simply unable to understand this passage. Today, when virtually all modern-era immigrants have reached Israel by flying at the altitude of clouds, and, like doves, always landing in the same place – the Ben Gurion Airport, we understand clearly theprediction of Isaiah concerning this phenomenon of airborne ingathering of Exiles.

Another example is Isaiah 26:20 לך עמי בא בחדריך וסגור דלתך בעדך חבי כמעט רגע עד יעבר זעם - “Go My people come into your rooms and close your doors behind you, hide for just a moment until the fury passes". The Biblical commentator Radak comments that this will occur during the War of Gog Umagog and the reference to "rooms" is allegorical and refers to "taking shelter" so to speak, by doing good deeds and doing penance. Rashi states that the Jews will go to their synagogues and study halls at that time.

As we now know, this passage is a very accurate description of the seclusion in the "sealed rooms" used as a protection in Israel against chemical warfare agents in the first Gulf War in 1991 and the "fury passing" occurred when the "All Clear" sounded (the code words were "Sharav Kaved") allowing people to exit the sealed rooms after the Scud missile landed and was determined to be chemically non-threatening.

As Maimonides had said, when the prophecy comes to pass, we are able to understand the passage, and so it was.

The People of Israel have been experiencing events described as those of אחרית הימים "Acharit Hayamim" – the "Last of the Years" [not, as often mistranslated, "The End of Days"] referred to by the Torah and the prophets, when there is to be a massive ingathering of Jews to the Land of Israel, an extensive rebuilding of the country and its communities, and a Golden Age when כי מציון תצא תורה ודבר השם מירושלים - "for from Zion shall issue forth Torah (Teaching = knowledge, including technological and scientific advances) and the Word of G-d from Jerusalem" Isaiah 2:3 and Michah 4:2.

It is tempting to explore prophetic and Midrashic sources to look for the context of unfolding events. This study leads to encouragement as to their salutary outcome, despite the difficulties and challenges we face at present.

Rav Saadyah Gaon related to this over one thousand years ago in his ten-part seminal philosophical work הנבחר באמונות ודעות"Hanivchar Be'emunot Ve'deot" "Selected Matters of Faith and Doctrines of Dogma". In number 8 – בישועה "BaYeshuah" – "Concerning the Final Salvation" he states (according to the translation from the Arabic by Rav Yosef Kapach, page 247) ישתבח מי שהטיב לנו בהקדימו להודיע לנו את הצרות האלה שלא יבואו עלינו פתאום ויגרמו לנו ייאוש - “praised be He who benefited us in that He gave us advance notice concerning these troubles so that they would not happen to us suddenly and cause us despair".

To paraphrase this idea, there is a reason the prophets provide so much detail in their accounts of future events in the Messianic Age. After all, to convey basic Jewish Faith in the Redemption concept it would be enough for the Prophets to write "trust in the Ultimate Redemption – it will surely come."

The reason for the detailed scenarios described in Biblical prophecy is so that when these events begin to take place, we will be able to recognize the patterns and context of ominous developments, and know that the final outcome is positive.

The message of Rav Saadyah is that the detail has been provided in order that the Jewish people will not despair. This foreknowledge of the outcome provided by the prophets will preclude mass despair on the part of the Jewish public when the scenario of upcoming events of the Messianic era seems threatening and foreboding.

An example of this principle at work was provided over five years ago on the occasion of the destruction of Gush Katif. At that time, the prospect of Israel destroying many rebuilt Jewish communities was considered by some to be an indication of a reversal of the אתחלתא דגאולה "atchalta de'Geula" "first stages of the Redemption" which the State of Israel embodied up to that point.

However, the Targum Yonatan ben Uziel on Deuteronomy 34:3 states: וית גלוות תלמידי אלישע דגלו מן קרוות דקליא על ידי אחוהון בית ישראל מאתן אלפין גוברין . . . וסדרי קרבא דגוג ובעידן צערא רבא ההיא מיכאל יקום בדרעא לפרוקא – in translation "And the exile of the students of Elisha [the Prophet] who are exiled from the Town of Dekalim by their brethren of the House of Israel – 200,000 men - . . . and the battle orders of Gog [and Magog] and in that era of great pain, Michael [the Archangel Michael – the guardian angel of the Jewish people] will arise with the [outstretched] Arm [of the Almighty] in order to redeem."

This source tells us that the evacuation of Gush Katif and its principle town Neveh Dekalim, exiling the Jewish residents, could be seen as an integral part of the upcoming scenario of Ultimate Redemption. Were it not for this source, we might have despaired of the future.

Taking it into consideration, although we do not yet understand the logic and we share the pain of the exiled pioneers, and although those who perpetrated the act chose of their own free will to cause immeasurable suffering, we can be heartened that it is part of the overall redemption scenario so that we do not "despair".[See /Articles/Article.aspx/5497 for a detailed discussion of this source.]

In Israel, we find ourselves in foreboding circumstances today, in Spring 2011. The State of Israel seems to have lost a major measure of its support in the non-Jewish world and is being stampeded into abandoning large parts of the Land of Israel to the tender mercies of sworn enemies who have no peaceful intentions at all – the Palestinians.

These are Arabs who constitute a "national entity" invented recently of whole cloth and which never existed in world history. Their wish is to destroy the State of Israel and kill as many Jews as possible in the process. Prime Minister Netanyahu is being pushed into formulating a plan of further concessions, beyond those already granted, lest the "World" (i.e. the Quartet - the USA, Russia, the UN, and the EU) force on Israel a "peace agreement" which would involve the abandonment of the homes of over 600,000 Israelis – including large parts of Jerusalem.

The Palestinian enemy fully expects this scenario to materialize and so, steadfastly refuses to negotiate. Since the "World", lead by US President Barack Hussein Obama whose father was a practicing Moslem, does not punish them in any way for not negotiating, they feel vindicated in this assessment.

Let us consult Jewish sources to see if there are hints as to upcoming events. First we will review a possible scenario constructed from the Palestinian declared intentions and from prophetic sources that correlate with them. Then we will quote these sources in detail so as to back up the scenario. The result is much more encouraging than currently considered.

A Possible Scenario:

After extensive preparation of the apparatus of statehood and widespread recognition by a growing list of countries of an "independent state of Palestine with borders defined by the 1967 cease-fire lines", the Palestinians turn in September 2011 [see Note 1 below] to the UN Security Council to be recognized as an independent State within the pre-1967 armistice lines– meaning that the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood of Jerusalem, as well as many others, will be part of Security-Council-recognized Palestine.

The USA does not veto this resolution (the recent US veto of the anti-settlement Security Council resolution was a feint, and not a precedent) and it passes [see Note 2]; alternatively, if there is a veto, the Palestinians turn to the UN General Assembly, using the 1950's "Uniting for Peace" tactic which enabled the USA to engage in the Korean War although a Russian-Chinese veto had paralyzed the Security Council on this issue and receive their approval.

The Palestinians then turn to the State of Israel and request immediate evacuation of its nearly 650,000 citizens from "their state". Israel offers to discuss the matter, the Palestinians refuse any discussion [see Note 3] and refer the issue back to the Security Council, requesting that they act to remove these interlopers post haste from "their state". After a short time, the Security Council and/or Quartet decide that the festering wound of the Israel-Palestine conflict has persisted long enough and decide to settle the matter once and for all by sending an expeditionary force to Israel to carry out the evacuation forcibly [see Note 4].

The deadline for Israel acting is by January 15, 2012 [see Note 5]. On or about that date, if Israel does not begin to seriously evacuate its citizens (and it won't), an expeditionary force consisting of contingents from both Christian and Moslem countries [see Note 6] lands on the shores of Israel. The force consists of at least 185,000 combat soldiers [see Note 7], and is well-armed enough to counter the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in whatever conflict configuration that might develop.

It has been demonstrated on the Internet that there is an elaborate US Armed Forces base in Israel, located near Shoham, and straddling the Green Line, and the force may be quartered there. This base was given to Pres. George W. Bush by Prime Minister Sharon on the occasion of the second Iraq War about five years ago. For a detailed description of this extra-territorial US presence in Israel, see http://www.rense.com/general66/excl.htm , including many pictures.

Eight months after the initial invasion [see note 8], the force approaches Jerusalem on the Eve of Sukkot 5773 (October 2012) [see Note 8]. They cause substantial havoc, but one week later, on the night between Oct. 06 and Oct. 07, 2012 - in the Hebrew calendar ליל הושענא רבה Leil Hoshanna Rabbah – the eve of the seventh day of Sukkot - , the L-rd, G-d of Israel says "Enough!" and puts an end to this force by some as yet unidentified natural phenomenon, devastating all the home countries who contributed personnel to the invasion [see Note 8]. Furthermore, on this occasion, all the capitals of the historic enemies of the Jews (for example Berlin, Teheran, Cairo, Rome, London, Madrid, Mecca, Moscow) will be reduced to rubble in a natural disaster that engulfs the entire planet [see Notes 9 and 11].

On the morning of Hoshanna Rabbah, the world looks entirely different. The final end to political or military pressure exerted on Jews and their State of Israel arrives.

At the close of this scenario, the Israel-Palestinian conflict ends forever. The Jews present in the Holy Land emerge unscathed and those surviving the devastation overseas soon make a final Aliyah [see Note 10].

Notes

The Sources:Those readers familiar with Jewish sources describing the War of Gog and Magog will recognize elements thereof in the above scenario. Let us now elaborate in detail the sources for the above account, point-by-point.

1. August-September, 2011 Security Council approval of a Palestinian State in the 1967 lines:This is the proclaimed intention of the Palestinian leadership, as declared repeatedly by their Prime Minister Salam Fayyad over the last 1 1/2 years. It is also the date by which the "Quartet" has determined that a final settlement of the Israel-Palestinian conflict be completed.

2. American non-use of the Veto at the Security Council : For the first time in history, America has a President – Barack Obama – with a sympathetic orientation to Moslem countries. He visited Cairo early in his presidency but has not yet visited Israel, and actions speak louder than words. The Palestinians’ moves would logically be made such that the entire planned process of forcing Israel militarily to do their bidding is completed before November 2012 when Obama stands for re-election.

3. The Palestinians demand evacuation of their country by the Jewish non-citizens and refuse to negotiate: This is simply a logical conclusion based on their behavior and statements to date – force Israel to vacate all territory beyond the post-1967 lines without resorting to negotiation and without conceding anything at all. They have announced clearly that their state must be judenrein.

4. The "Quartet" decides to force Israeli evacuation militarily: The entire tenor of the anti-Israeli international political atmosphere for the last two years leads directly to this outcome. It is this prospect that has Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak running scared and feeling pressured to make proposals to "advance the peace process," even though the current logjam in negotiations is entirely the fault of the Palestinians. Note the Arab League's announced plan to ask to make Gaza a no-fly zone and Obama advisor Samantha Power's suggestion to send UN forces to protect the Palestinians from the IDF.

5. The Jan.15, 2012 date: The first Gulf War in 1991 was fixed to begin on this date. Events in the solar calendar have particular significance for the non-Jewish world and those in the lunar calendar are significant for the Jewish world. (see BT Tractate Succa 29a – a solar eclipse is a bad omen for the non-Jews and a lunar eclipse is a bad omen for the Jews).

In 2012, the interval between Jan. 15 and Oct. 07, Hoshanna Rabbah – the seventh day of Sukkot, is exactly 266 days – 38 weeks, i.e. the nine months of a human pregnancy. According to BT Yoma 10a, "Ben-David (the Messiah) will only arrive after the evil kingdom of Rome dominates the entire world for a period of nine months as it says in Micah 5:2 "therefore give them the time it takes for her to give birth." The events at the closing stages of the Redemption process will last the nine months of human gestation.

Since it is understood that the finale of G-d's victory over the nations at the close of the Gog and Magog War takes place on the seventh day of Sukkot – Hoshanna Rabbah, it is logical to seek the year when this interval is 266 days. 2012 is such a year.

In Zechariah 14, it states that in response to the nations' invasion of Eretz Yisrael, ויצא השם ונלחם בגוים ההם כיום הלחמו ביום קרב - "And Hashem will go forth and do battle with those nations as on the day of His fighting on the day of Battle." The Targum Yonatan renders this: כיום אגחותיה קרב על ימא דסוף - "As on the day that he fought the battle at the Red Sea", referring to the night of the seventh day of Passover, when the Egyptian pursuers were drowned in the Red Sea.

Since G-d's victory over the Egyptians in the Exodus culminated in the crossing of the Red Sea and the final destruction of the Egyptian enemy on the seventh day of Passover, so in the Final Redemption on the Seventh Day of Sukkot all the nations who were/are enemies of the Jews will be destroyed. As it states in Michah 7:15 כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים אראנו נפלאות "kimei tzeitcha mei-eretz Mitzrayim ar'enu niflaot" – "I will show you miraculous events (at the Final Redemption) as in the days of the Exodus."

The connection with the Sukkot holiday is clearly indicated in Zechariah 14 and is the reason the chapters related to the War of Gog and Magog were chosen to be read as Haphtorot on Sukkot.

This connection is Torah-mandated. The 70 bulls sacrificed on Sukkot in the Holy Temple on behalf of the welfare of the 70-nations of the world are sacrificed not 10 per day for 7 days, but in a curious countdown from 13 on the first day to 7 on the last day. The total is 70, but the declining numbers are an ominous message to the nations that in the ultimate events to take place on Sukkot, they will not fare well (unless there is massive Teshuva – repentance - on their part; see Rashi on Numbers 29:18).

6. Christian and Moslem Contingents in the Invading Expeditionary Force: See Daniel 11:40 and following: 40 – ובעת קץ יתנגח עמו מלך הנגב וישתער עליו מלך הצפון ברכב ובפרשים ובאניות רבות ובא בארצות ושטף ועבר - “And at the time of the End [a synonym in Biblical terminology for Acharit Hayamim] there will be a collision with him by the King of the South and the King of the North will storm [his defences] with chariots and horsemen and many ocean-going vessels and he will sweep through and pass on”. – ויטע אהלי אפדנו בין ימים להר צבי קודש ובא עד קצו ואין עוזר לו - “And he will pitch his Royal tents between the seas and the mount of the Sacred Beauty [a synonym for the land of Israel] and he will come to his End, and there is no one to help him”. 12:1 – ובעת ההיא יעמוד מיכאל השר הגדול העמד על בני עמך והיתה עת צרה אשר לא נהיתה מהיות גוי עד העת ההיא ובעת ההיא ימלט עמך כל הנמצא כתוב בספר - "And at that time, the Great Archangel Michael [the traditional Guardian Angel of the Jews], who guards over Your people, will arise and there will be a time of troubles such as never before since becoming a nation until then, and at that time, Your people will escape – all those found to be written in the book."

The above passages describe a seminal war between the King of the South and the King of the North, who then unite to invade Israel, where they will meet their end. Over one hundred years ago, the classic commentary Malbim identified the King of the South as "artzot Yishmael" the Ishmaelite countries, a clear reference to Moslem forces; the Metzudot David, another commentary, identifies the King of the North as "Romi", Rome, a reference to the Christian countries.

From these sources, it derives that the invasion of Israel at the end of the scenario involves a coalition of both Moslem and Christian forces. This invasion and its consequences – the War of Gog-u-Magog – are described in detail in Ezekiel 38 and 39. There, Persia is mentioned as part of the invading coalition, so that now Iran may be part of the expeditionary force as well. The intent of the invading force is (38:12) לשלול שלל ולבוז בז להשיב ידך על חרבותנושבות ואל עם מאסף מגוים עשה מקנה וקנין יושבי על טבור הארץ -"To take as booty the booty [the booty already taken--in the Six Day War?], and to despoil the spoils, to return your [violent] hand on resettled ruins and against a people ingathered from the Nations, dealing in commercial trade, and dwelling in the heartland ".

This description closely suits the intent to uproot communities rebuilt in Israel [referred to as "the settlements" in the current diplomatic jargon], the intent of the Expeditionary Force. Finally, in 39:06 – ושלחתי אש במגוג וביושבי האיים לבטח וידעו כי אני השם - "I will send fire in Magog [the home countries of Gog and his coalition] and in the dwellers of the Islands [a biblical term for overseas territories – other continents] in security and then they will know that I am the L-rd." This is a clear reference to world-wide destruction and catastrophe. In Zechariah 13:8, a reference to "two-thirds will be cut off and perish and one-third will be left over [from the destruction]" is interpreted as referring to the vast toll of this world-wide catastrophe (see BT Sanhedrin 111a – debate between R' Yohanan and Resh Lakish).

7. 185,000 Soldiers: The B.T. Sanhedrin 95b describes that the future armies of Gog Umagog will encompass 185,000 troops as did the besieging army of Sancheriv (Sennacherib) who laid unsuccessful siege to Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. The force is itemized there as 45,000 senior officers (with their camp-following consorts), 80,000 soldiers equipped with scale-equipped body-armor, and 60,000 swordsmen, in addition to various horsemen.

This analogy derives from the similarities between this account and the scenario foretold by the prophets for the Gog Umagog conflict. An expeditionary force coming against Israel has to be capable theoretically of defeating the IDF in battle, although a battle may not occur.

8. The attack on Jerusalem on Sukkot: See Zecharia 14 - the entire chapter – for the details of this invasion. The association with Sukkot is made at the end of the chapter where in the aftermath of G-d's victory over the nations, their survivors are commanded to visit Jerusalem annually on Sukkot in remembrance of this event.

This chapter is read in synagogues as the Haphtorah on the first day of Sukkot. And Chapters 38-39 of Ezekiel, mentioned above, are read on the Intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot as the Haphtorah. The two readings are associated with Sukkot because the events described there are destined to take place on Sukkot (see Rav Hai Gaon in Tur Shulhan Arukh – Orach Chaim – 490).

9.The Planet-wide Disaster on Hoshanna Rabbah: See the detailed scenario in Ezekiel 38-39 and Zecharia 14. Earthquakes, tidal waves, avnei elgavish (which I have identified as a major fall of earth-crossing asteroids on the planet that night of Hoshanna Rabbah); each of these has enough energy and destructive power to leave a crater or devastation where a city stood previously).

10. The Jews in Israel survive: In Joel 4:16: והשם מציון ישאג ומירושלים יתן קולו ורעשו שמים וארץ והשם מחסה לעמו ומעוז לבני ישראל - In the context of this war, "and G-d will roar forth from Zion, and He will raise His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will tremble [the Biblical verb for an earthquake] and G-d will be a shelter for His people and a fortress for the children of Israel".

Furthermore, by analogy with the Exodus as defined above, the concept of הפלאה"hafla'ah" – contradistinction – was a dominant theme in the Exodus. Plague after plague smote the Egyptians but the Israelites were unaffected. See the account of the plague of "dever" – cattle blight – in Exodus 9:7 where Pharaoh cannot believe that the Israelites lost no cattle to this plague and sent a personal emissary to the land of Goshen to confirm this amazing contradistinction.

So may we hope that it will be in the Final Redemption, and although there will be massive perishing all over the planet, the Jews in Israel will survive unharmed, decisively demonstrating G-d's intervention on their behalf. This will serve to convince the surviving non-Jews of the globe Who orchestrated this world-wide catastrophe – and why.

Finally, in Deuteronomy 32:25, the song of Ha'azinu, it states מחוץ תשכל חרב ומחדרים אימה - "michutz teshakel cherev umechadarim eimah" literally – "outside there will be loss of life by sword, and indoors there will be great fear." The Targum Yonatan on this passage: עמא דגלו מברא לארעא דישראל תתכיל יתהון מחת חרבא ודמשתיירין בארעא דישראל בגו קיטוני מדמיכיהון איגרי בהון הגרת מותא - "The people exiled outside the boundaries of the Land of Israel will suffer the blow of the sword and those remaining in the Land of Israel in their bedrooms where they sleep will fear the fear of death."

This strongly suggests that the safest place for the Jews to be during that Sukkot will be in Israel – they will fear, but will remain alive.

11. Destruction of the Past and Current Enemies of the Jews at that time: This theme recurs in the Bible and the words of the prophets repeatedly. One quote will illustrate the point: Deuteronomy 32:43 – again from the Song of Ha'azinu: הרנינו גוים עמו כי דם עבדיו יקום ונקם ישיב לצריו וכפר אדמתו עמו - "Nations, praise His people, for He has avenged the blood of His servants, and He will visit vengeance on His adversaries and will atone for His land and for His people."

In Conclusion:As quoted above, Maimonides warns that no one knows for sure to what events specific prophecies refer until they come to pass. However, we live in times so replete with prophecies in the midst of fulfillment that we may be forgiven for constructing possible scenarios.

The above is one such scenario, congruent with Jewish sources. There may be others with different outcomes. If there is an armed invasion of Israel by a joint Christian-Moslem force intending to eject Jews from the historic Land of Israel, and this takes place in early 2012, there will be those who will ominously predict the imminent demise of the independent State of Israel, as there are even those who do so today.

Dr. Yacov M. Tabak was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University. He has lived with his family in Jerusalem for nearly 30 years, has practiced chemistry in the industrial environment in Israel, and is fascinated by ongoing correlation between Jewish prophetic sources and current events.

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LIVING in Eretz Israel is the equivalent of all the Mitzvot of the Torah (Sifri, Parashat Re'eh, TOSEFTA, AVODA ZARA 5:2)

Fortunate is he who merits in his life to FIX HIS RESIDENCE in Eretz HaKodesh (Zohar Hakadosh Iii 72b) and remove from your heart this false belief that a man has more blessings outside the land (Alshich Hakadosh, Ki Tavo 28:6)